Greetings,

For most people on earth, even those who live near the ocean, life below the low-tide line is a mystery, glimpsed only in movies or documentaries.  Those visuals often focus on “charismatic megafauna” such as sharks, or colorful tropical habitats in clear water, such as coral reefs.  Folks who walk around docks can get glimpses, if they take the time to look, at seaweeds and animals that live just below the waterline.  But to really understand life in the subtidal zone you have to be there – and in the San Juan Archipelago, that means SCUBA diving in cold, dark, high-current areas.  But what a reward, when the plants and animals are as diverse and colorful as ours!  Chris Wells is one of several graduate students in recent years whose dissertation work focused on this fascinating but hidden world just off our rocky shorelines.  It takes a lot of grit to spend enough hours underwater to gather data to improve our understanding of these habitats.  Chris is now working on tropical corals in the warmth and light, but still hopes to return to the San Juans and continue the challenge of understanding our local anemones.

Best,
Dr. Megan Dethier
FHL Director